After Chen Dajiu finished butchering the pig in Dawang Village, it was already mealtime. The family, pleased with how cleanly he had handled the slaughter and drained the blood, not only paid him 200 wen but also sold him half a pig at a discounted price and invited him to stay for the butchering feast.
Having worked all morning, Chen Dajiu was both tired and hungry, so he didn’t decline.
“What a pity there aren’t many dishes or drinks. We country folks aren’t the best hosts,” the man said apologetically as he poured Chen Dajiu a cup of wine.
Chen Dajiu looked at the four dishes on the table, two of which were meat dishes with fatty slices floating appetizingly in the broth. For these times, it was quite a spread. Even though he was usually reserved, he knew the host was being modest, so he praised, “There’s so much here—how could it be too little?”
Sure enough, the man smiled sincerely. “Come, Brother Chen, don’t stand on ceremony. Eat up. Uncle, all of you, please help yourselves too.”
Just as everyone picked up their chopsticks, a woman’s voice suddenly came from outside: “Huh? What’s this? Where did these river snails come from?”
Hearing this, Chen Dajiu quickly set down his chopsticks and went to the door. “Sister-in-law, those are mine.”
The woman’s face flushed red with embarrassment at her rashness. “I’m so sorry,” she said, though she couldn’t help wondering why Chen Dajiu would want to eat these—they usually had the kids gather them to crush and feed to the chickens and ducks.
Chen Dajiu waved it off. “No problem,” he said, carrying the bowl of river snails back inside. “My sister gave these to me. Let’s all try them together.”
Everyone was momentarily taken aback when Chen Dajiu brought the bowl in. When they saw it was stir-fried river snails, their expressions turned odd. The host was the first to recover, exclaiming, “They look delicious!”
The others quickly chimed in: “Yeah, it’s been years since I’ve had these! When we were kids, we often went to catch and roast them. Remember, Third Brother?”
“How could I forget? I got a good beating from Mom when I got home!”
“Hahaha…”
The atmosphere lightened again as everyone began chatting about this and that.
Then the host tried one of the snails. “Brother Chen, how did you make these? They taste really good!”
But his comment was like a pebble dropped into the sea—it caused no ripples. Those who heard it were even somewhat dismissive. How good could river snails be? Every country kid had eaten them growing up. They were tough to chew and had a muddy taste.
Only Chen Dajiu was momentarily stunned, though he assumed the host was just exaggerating. That is, until he picked up a snail and tasted it himself.
??
Why was it nothing like he’d imagined? It was savory, spicy, and quite delicious.
With a quick suck, the broth and the snail meat slid right onto his tongue. The meat wasn’t tough at all, soaked through with the spicy sauce.
After finishing one, he instinctively took a sip of wine. Ah, so satisfying! No wonder his niece had told him to eat these with drinks!
Excellent!
By now, others noticed how frequently the host and Chen Dajiu were reaching for the snails, their faces full of enjoyment, and curiosity began to stir.
Finally, one person tentatively picked up a snail. “These river snails really are tasty.”
Then others followed suit. “Wow, so spicy…”
“Not bad at all!”
“Perfect with drinks—absolutely satisfying!”
Soon, the bowl of river snails was completely empty.
Everyone seemed to feel it ended too soon. “These river snails are actually so delicious!”
“Indeed, I’ve never tasted anything this good before.”
Only Chen Dajiu…
He was beginning to regret his decision. If he had known the river snails would be this tasty, he should have kept them to enjoy slowly at home…
Ah…
Meanwhile, at the Su Family, Su Li, Su Tao, and their mother Chen Shi arrived at Ma Tou to begin their daily work. It’s worth mentioning that before they even left home in the morning, they encountered their neighbors Wang Tie Zhu and his son. After showering them with abundant praise and beating around the bush for quite some time, the father and son finally revealed their purpose:
“We were hoping to buy two portions of your meal from you every day.”
Wang Tie Zhu and Wang Ergou had thought this through carefully. Since they needed to eat while working in the county anyway, why not buy from Su Li and her family? It would be more convenient, they were neighbors, and the price wasn’t expensive either. The father and son had accumulated some savings from years of hunting in the mountains. Excluding the money set aside for the son’s marriage, they could be considered one of the wealthiest households in the village.
Of course, none of the other villagers knew about this. Even when they went to sell their game, they always took small paths, either before dawn or after dark.